East Cleveland students in Step Up scholarship program continue march toward college

View full sizeLisa Dejong, The Plain DealerWendy Green said the Step Up program has reinforced the resolve of her daughter, Amber, who is a student at the Cleveland School of Architecture and Design on the John Hay Campus. Originally, participants could attend only East Cleveland district schools, but that rule changed to give them more options when they reached high school.

"Against a backdrop of college posters, a half-dozen East Cleveland parents pulled 35 tiny strips of paper out of paper bags yesterday.

Each strip had the name of one first-grader whose future will be shaped by the Step Up scholarship program." – The Plain Dealer, Oct. 1, 2003

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Almost nine years later, many of those first-graders and their hopeful parents have stepped away from Step Up, reflecting both the churn in East Cleveland's population and the difficulty in meeting the program's demanding requirements.

But for the 11 original participants who remain and nine others who joined along the way, Step Up has led to a world of possibility.

"I don't know how I'd feel about college if I wasn't in Step Up," said Amber Green, 15, who is considering a career in engineering. "I know it's broadened my horizons for where I might go to college and what I might do.

The anonymous couple who gave an undisclosed amount to create Step Up (Steering Talented and Engaged Pupils Towards Undergraduate Programs) also have been pleased, said Ginger Mlakar, director of donor relations for the Cleveland Foundation, which administers the fund.

One of the donors – identified only as a college professor and a public-school tutor from Greater Cleveland – has passed away. But the other remains active in monitoring Step Up's progress and tweaking its design as the children grow, Mlakar said.

Once the students graduate from high school, the money will fill the gap between scholarships they win and the cost of college. Just as important, it is being used to prepare them for that day with tutoring, mentoring and exposure to a college-oriented world that kids from wealthier families are born into.

In East Cleveland, only about 1 in 10 adults has at least a bachelor's degree, compared to an average of 1 in 4 statewide, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau figures.

The median household income is about $21,200, compared to $47,400 statewide.

"I think changing the culture, the fundamental assumptions about college, is the greatest accomplishment for the program so far," said Michele Scott Taylor, chief program officer for College Now Greater Cleveland, which runs Step Up.

Lee Friedman, CEO of College Now -- formerly known as Cleveland Scholarship Programs, said Step Up students are performing better than their peers by many measures, including their scores on a preliminary college entrance exam. The drop in the number of students participating, from 35 to 20, isn't surprising, she said, especially considering the original group was chosen randomly, by lottery.

View full sizeLonnie Timmons III, Plain Dealer fileThis group photo from October 2003 shows 34 of the original 35 first-graders in the Step Up scholarship program. Coordinator Amiya Hutson, at the far right, has stuck with the program for all nine years and says she intends to stay until the remaining participants graduate from high school.

The majority of those who left moved out of the district. From the start, the program required participants to attend East Cleveland district schools. But since 2003, district enrollment has taken a hit from a host of factors, including the recession, foreclosure crisis and competition from charter schools.

The number of district students has fallen by a third, landing at roughly 3,200.

Step Up's enrollment requirement was loosened as the students reached high school, to give them options beyond Shaw High School. But other conditions related to things like grades, attendance and suspensions and expulsions proved too daunting for some.

Other students – or their families -- couldn't meet requirements for participation in meetings and activities.

Amber's mother, Wendy Green, said they've had to make some sacrifices along the way, like missing family reunions in the summer so Amber could attend special programs.

"But oh my goodness, the exposure it's given Amber has been very valuable," she said.

The Greens moved into the district when Amber was in fourth grade and were advised to look into Step Up. New children were added as spaces opened until the students completed sixth grade.

Starting work with students when they were young was one approach Step Up took to avoid problems that had derailed similar efforts locally and elsewhere. Also important was involving families as part of the team and having one key staffer be a constant in their lives.

That would be Amiya Hutson, the part-time coordinator who works directly with students and their families.

She has stuck it out for all nine years – checking on grades, prodding students to do their required community service, organizing trips to colleges and other places they might never experience otherwise, like Playhouse Square and Amish country.

She already has the first meeting of next school year planned.

"They're going to learn how to fill out the common application for college," Hutson said.

"Sometimes they've complained about things I've made them do, and I've told them, 'It's going to go on your application. You are going to shine.' Now they'll see."

That's just the kind of help that parents like Viola Parker appreciate. Her daughter, Rose, was one of the original Step Up students and now attends the Cleveland School of Architecture and Design on the John Hay Campus.

Parker said Hutson has helped her understand what's required as college approaches.

"There's the financial part, choosing a dormitory, all the forms and procedures and deadlines. It's very challenging for me, but help is there," she said.

Taylor, from College Now, said Hutson is "a blessing."

"Having the same person over the years is a major, major plus. To most of the families, she's like an aunt or a big sister or the mother's good friend. There is a level of comfort and trust."

Hutson said one of the best surprises has been the program's positive effect on Step Up siblings and parents. She's been able to help one mother who earned her own bachelor's degree, and several more now have associate degrees.

She intends to keep working with the Step Up students through their first day of college and, she hopes, beyond.

"I told them I would stay until they graduated from high school," she said. "I knew they needed the continuity. I promised them that.

"I want to see what happens at the very end and know I've been there every step of the way."

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